The present invention relates to postural pillows, and specifically to a pillow or cushion adapted to be secured to the inside of a user""s leg in the knee area in order to maintain the user""s knees in a spaced apart relation.
Many people encounter difficulty sleeping in a lateral recumbent position due to discomfort caused by the close proximity of their knees to each other. This discomfort can result from the misalignment of the spine that occurs when a reclining person is positioned on their side or from the physical chafing or bruising caused by knee-on-knee contact. Difficulties are experienced most particularly by individuals with lower back conditions and lower limb conditions, including mechanical low back pain, spondylosis, sciatica, degenerative disc disease, patella femoral syndrome, chondromalacia patella or trochanteric bursitis. Other people that may experience discomfort when in a lateral recumbent position include those with muscular strains or sprains in the back, hip or knee regions, those recovering from medical operations or those with fibromyalgia.
Relief from the discomfort experienced when in a lateral recumbent position is often found by maintaining the knees in a spaced apart relation. This is typically accomplished by placing a pillow, cushion or other soft resilient object between the person""s knees when resting or sleeping. Unfortunately, an ordinary pillow or cushion is often incorrectly sized and typically becomes dislodged during sleep.
There are postural pillows designed to provide cervical support for a user when the user is in a sitting position for long periods, such as on an aircraft or train. Cervical pillows are typically shaped so as to provide appropriate support and comfort for the neck and head of the user. It would be advantageous to provide a postural pillow that is adapted for use as both a knee pillow and a cervical pillow.
Various attempts have been made to develop a pillow that can be secured to a user""s leg so as to maintain it""s location between the knees. U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,806 (Griffin) shows a knee pillow having two lateral straps designed to encircle a person""s calf and thigh, respectively, for securing the pillow to the inside of the knee. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,477 (Moore) discloses a knee pillow having two lateral straps adapted to be tightened around a person""s calf and thigh. U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,508 (Seip, Jr.) discloses a knee pillow having the same lateral straps as shown in Griffin and Moore. These existing pillows are designed to be strapped transversely around a user""s thigh, above the user""s knee, in order to secure the pillow in place. Disadvantageously, it is necessary to place such a strap under considerable tension to ensure that the pillow remains in place which results in pressure upon the user""s hamstring in both a reclining and standing position. This can cause users discomfort and impede mobility.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a therapeutic pillow that may be secured in position between the user""s knees, but that causes minimal discomfort and minimal impairment of movement.
The postural pillow of the present invention provides a pillow for spacing apart a user""s knees including a resiliently deformable body extending longitudinally between a first end and a second end, the body being adapted to be positioned with the first end above the user""s knee and the second end below the user""s knee; a lower strap having at least one end attached to the body and adapted to be fastened laterally across the user""s leg on the lower side of the user""s calf muscle, the lower strap extending laterally across the body; an upper strap having at least one end attached to the body and adapted to be fastened laterally across the user""s leg on the upper side of the user""s calf muscle, the upper strap extending laterally across the body; and a knee strap adapted to be fastened longitudinally across the top of the user""s lower thigh, above the user""s knee, the knee strap ending longitudinally with respect to the body.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a postural pillow for spacing apart a user""s knees that includes a body having a kidney-shape that is adaptable to be employed as a cervical support.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.